Transforming Veterans

For many years the only housing to be found along Veterans Boulevard was the Casa de Redwood apartments, at 1280 Veterans Blvd. Built nearly 50 years ago, this seven-story, 136-unit building is home to those ages 62 and over who fall into the low- or moderate-income categories. In 2015, though, it gained an ally when Radius Apartments opened their doors at 620 Veterans Blvd. This large two-building complex, comprising some 264 apartments, was constructed on the site where Redwood City Dodge had for years sold and serviced cars and trucks. Radius’ apartments have either one or two bedrooms, and range in size from about 630 to 1,083 square feet. Although most are leased at a market rate, 22 of the apartments are designated for qualifying low-income households.

In the same year that the Radius Apartments opened their doors, a second new housing project was proposed for a site just three blocks away, where Jefferson Avenue dead-ends into Veterans Boulevard. Dubbed Encore Redwood City, the six-story apartment building replaced a single-story building that once held a handful of retailers and restaurants. Encore, which was completed in early 2019, contains 90 one, two, and three-bedroom for-rent apartments, seven of which are for very-low-income households.

In 2019, Redwood City’s Planning Commission approved another housing-related project, this one for a parcel between Radius and Encore. Today, the corner of Veterans Boulevard and Brewster Street is home to a Shell gas station. But the project that was approved would replace that gas station with a four-story, 91-room hotel. However, that project was approved in September of 2020, and no building permits appear to have been applied for since. Thus, if this project is still going ahead I expect to see further activity sometime this year.

Coming full circle, during Redwood City’s review of a large bloc of project proposals all requiring General Plan amendments (the so-called “Gatekeeper Process”), one of those projects was a large mixed-use development planned for a site directly across Veterans Boulevard from Casa de Redwood. Currently home to the “Veterans Square” retail center, as presented during the Gatekeeper Process meetings the development would contain between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet of retail space, a child care center and a whopping 430 housing units (70 of which would be affordable at a below-market rate, although these actually might be located in a separate building the developer owns at 201 Marshall St.). But although the Redwood City Council did agree to initiate the changes to the General Plan needed to make this (and other) projects possible, the developer has yet to submit the project for formal approval. Thus, this particular project may not actually come to fruition.

Whether or not the 1205-1295 Veterans Blvd. project (or a version of it) is constructed, developers clearly have zeroed in on Veterans Boulevard as one place to construct large housing projects in Redwood City. Given the number of housing units Redwood City needs to plan for the creation of (roughly 4,600 between the years 2023 and 2031), large projects, which can only be constructed on large lots such as those found along the city’s major transit corridors, will be needed. Thus, sites such as the Veterans Square parcel, and, perhaps more likely, the nearby 9 acre Kmart parcel, are almost guaranteed to be redeveloped as housing. All of which will continue a seemingly inevitable trend that may well result in Veterans Boulevard becoming primarily a place to live, and only secondarily a place for commerce.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.